Of Whiskers and Warlords
by BrightSideoftheMoon
Summary: Prime. Post Predacons Rising. In exile, Megatron gives up and decides the only path left for him is to follow his life-long friend into the Well of Allsparks. However, instead of the black nothingness he expected, he's faced with yet another nightmare. He's back on Earth. And a lot shorter than he remembers. The ex-warlord is doomed to life as a house cat in the Darby residence.
1. Chapter 1

Word of Optimus's sacrifice spread to the farthest corners of Cybertron. Those stranded across galaxies heard of the Prime responsible for taking the steps toward Cybertron's restoration. And the news certainly reached an ex warlord isolated in a belt of asteroids miles from Cybertron's gravitational pull. He couldn't bring himself to leave it entirely, and even though it would never be admitted aloud, he was silently surprised at his home planet's progress.

Megatron sat in the crevice of an asteroid and gazed at the faint blue glow emanating from Cybertron's surface. It looked so...alive. He hadn't realized how much he missed it. It reminded him of how things were before the war, almost like it hadn't even happened.

But that was an asinine tangent to go on. He ought to know better than to let his thoughts take over him this way. The moment he thought about his past, he thought about his regrets. How he is the reason Optimus, his best friend, is dead. _The fragger,_ Megatron thought. It wasn't fair that Optimus got to join the Allspark and his own tortured spark was trapped in existence.

And he realized he didn't want to live anymore. He thought forcing himself to live and witness himself fall further and further into depravity would be the punishment he deserved. In a way, it was. But he couldn't take it anymore.

Megatron leaned his helm back against the cold space rock. It's grainy surface scratches his metal plating but he doesn't notice it too much. It has become difficult to give attention to any one thing. He shut his optics and reopened them. The first thing he saw was Cybertron's glow. He felt it calling him, calling him to the Well. He could jump in, follow Optimus. Not a day went by that he didn't think of the stoic 'Bot. Not a day passed when he didn't think about how badly he screwed up with him. Despite how often the pair fought because Megatron didn't like the way Optimus chastised him, Megatron would give anything to hear the Prime's nagging now.

Megatron pulled further in on himself and stared at his ex home planet. Tonight, he would go tonight. He will go tonight, and end _everything._

…

The guards turned in for the night. Bidding each other goodnight and leaving to fall into a deep recharge. Things were relaxed on Cybertron, no one would be foolish enough to cause problems right at the beginning of a new era.

And that left the Well of Allspark unguarded.

Megatron stepped quietly in-between the maze of partially constructed buildings. The streets were empty, thank Primus. For he only knows what would happen if anyone caught sight of the scourge of Cybertron traipsing around. _There's no hope for me anymore, and age and energon deprivation won't offline me fast enough,_ Megatron thought bitterly. He repeated it in his helm the whole walk to the Well. Using a vehicle mode required more energy than he had, and it was bound to attract a substantial amount of attention-even from the unoccupied streets.

The walk felt like it took _vorns,_ and Megatron thought he would never make it. Yet here he stood, gaping into the seemingly bottomless glowing pit with the voices of the future calling him in, screaming for him to jump.

So he did. He fell with a blinding light obstructing his vision, so he closed them and let Primus deal with him as he saw fit.

The last thing Megatron remembered was his own internal voice begging, _I just want to start over._

…

Everything people said about the afterlife was wrong. There was no peaceful quietness, no unlimited reservoirs of energon, no fancy golden gate or fluffy cloud-stairs.

It was loud honking, screeching tires, and horrible fumes like someone blew out their car engine. There were mass amounts of things walking and talking loudly-

Not things. Humans.

Megatron opened his optics hoping the first thing he would see would be Primus himself, but no. The warlord opened his eyes to a dead Earth-vermin and half-eaten molded foods. He was in an ally. By trash. Sitting by a _rat. On Earth._

He jumped to his feet and frantically batted the abhorred furry creature away, only to find the same sort of substance covering his servo. Megatron shouted again and surprise and forced himself to look at his servo again. He tripped over himself trying to look at the other and ended up getting to see both of his pedes suffered the same twisted fate. Megatron scrambled to somehow get away from his own limbs but his back touched something cold and metallic.

A dumpster.

A human dumpster with human obscenities scratched onto it and human leftovers spilling out of it. It was his worst nightmare. He was somehow back on that dusted dump of a planet with all of its sorry stupid excuses for life forms meandering about like insect parasites!

Megatron slowly turned his head out of the alley and gazed at the humans going about their daily lives. They were so much taller! _What the frag…_

He was small. Smaller than _humans._ "What is this…" Megatron muttered and stepped back further into the alley, eyes wide in horror.

Then his back leg stepped into something wet and _very_ unpleasant. He hissed and tore his leg out of the puddle. But not before getting a look at his gray fur-covered face, whiskers, red slanted pupils and sharp teeth.

The last thing he saw, that made his insides curdle, was the fluffy tail flicking mindlessly behind him.

"WHAT AM I?"

…

 **So, I had to put my cat down a few months ago and it's so different now because I've always had a cat. We got him when I was three and now I'm starting college this August. So I've got cats on the mind, I really miss him and his grumpy attitude always reminded me a little of Megatron. And that's how this idea came about. Hopefully doing this story will pull me out of whatever kind of funk I'm in.**


	2. Chapter 2

Megatron walked hesitantly down the streets, keeping close enough to the buildings so he brushed up against the brick every so often. A few times some uncoordinated human wasn't looking where he or she was going and almost stepped on him. _That_ didn't go over well. Every time someone dared to come closer to him, accident or otherwise, he swiped at the person's ankles. _What the pit did I do to deserve this?_

 _Throw your home planet into chaos and war, betray your best friend, among other things,_ his inner voice reminded him. He was ready to die! Why could he still feel that familiar beating inside him?

 _Maybe I am dead, and this is the hell meant for me,_ he thought. But he really hoped that wasn't true, there was no fragging way he could last eternity on this filthy planet with all of its disgusting life.

Megatron's eyes narrowed at the prospect of his situation's permanence. He needed to devise a plan, he couldn't stay like this. His eyes scoured the scene in front of him: a steady stream of cars lifting up papers and lose trash from the streets as they sped by, humans walking along-some with smaller humans clutching their hands-, and an endless line of buildings framing the graying sky.

Out of nowhere, Megatron felt a rumbling from underneath him and he jumped back gaping around him for the source. _The earth must be experiencing some sort of shifting, most likely an underground surge of energy…_ Megatron hypothesized. Earth wasn't his area of study, so it was hard to know exactly what was happening.

 _Mrrrrrrr_

 _There it is again!_ Megatron couldn't feel anything coming from the ground itself, it felt closer. That's when he realized the sound wasn't coming from underneath him at all, it was coming from _inside_ of him.

 _My inner bodily functions have been compromised!_ Megatron scrambled in a panic. His eyes scanned for something he could use to possibly stop the troubling internal growling. He took off down the street, looking and not letting his eyes stay on one thing for too long.

 _There! Is that..?_ Megatron stopped in front of a fairly crowded building with the words 'K.O. Burger' on it where a dark haired human had just stepped outside. The warlord recognized him immediately, he isn't known to forget a face, even that of a human's.

Megatron ran towards the human, convinced it was _him_ who did this terrible thing. Turning someone into a vermin was beyond _dispicable._ The ex-warlord vowed to finish the human and take back his place with the Allspark!

"You!" He shouted when he came into closer proximity of the boy.

Jack's head jerked up and he looked around. Finding no one, he shrugged and looked back down at his phone.

"Human!" Megatron tried again, stepping up right next to the boy's legs. "You will regret the day you and your entire raced emerged in this universe! Undo this sorcery or I will annihilate those closest to you!" Megatron howled up at the surprised teenager with all his anger and frustration he suppressed in his exile.

"You-you are talking to me," Jack started. "First motorcycles, now cats. Maybe I should call that shrink mom mentioned…"

"Vile thing! Look at me when I am addressing you!" The recently-turned cat was tired of everything. At this point he just wanted to lay down and pray some otherworldly force would take pity on him long enough to take his life.

"You sound kind of familiar… Something in the tone. You got a name little guy?" Jack knelt down closer to the cat's glare.

" _Little guy?!"_ Megatron shouted. "Fool! I am Megatron!" Then he brought up his clawed paw and swiped Jack across the face. "All will hail the Deception Lord!"

Jack fell back and moved back from the raging cat. "M-megatron?"

"Is your skull to dense to comprehend my superiority?"

"Oh my god. I'm going insane, I'm actually _losing_ it!" Jack rubbed his face with a hand and then ran it through his hair in exasperation. "Oh god. Oh _god!"_

Megatron sat back and watched the human have his mental breakdown. He didn't have the energy to yell anymore and was beginning to turn away. He didn't have to deal with this. But then his stomach rumbled again and he curled in on himself slightly. Jack snapped out of his daze at the sound.

"Are you hungry?"

"What?" Megatron asked.

"Your stomach growled. Have you... eaten anything?" Jack knelt closer again.

"No? Am I supposed to?" Megatron wondered in honest surprise. He didn't know what kind of creature he was supposed to be, let alone what he was supposed to _eat._

"Yes! Here-" Jack reached around behind him and brought out something wrapped in foil. "Have some of this."

Jack unwrapped the foil and pushed it Megatron's way. Megatron peered over at one of the most revolting things he'd ever seen. It had a soggy covering on the top and bottom, a shiny red round thing underneath, mixed with a green leaf, and some brown thing in the middle. It looked like what the humans called 'meat,' but Megatron wasn't sure. He stepped back immediately but then leaned forward to take a hesitant sniff. It... didn't _smell_ awful. Megatron should have expected humans would eat trash like this.

His stomach growled again as if reprimanding him to just eat the fragging thing. Jack noticed his hesitation, "I promise it'll feel better once you eat something."

"What is this poison?" Megatron asked taking the bun off with his nose.

"It's called a cheeseburger," Jack said lightly. "C'mon just try it!"

"Don't heckle me earthling!" Megatron shouted but nibbled it anyway.

Jack waited patiently for a response while the warlord forced the food down his throat. "So..?"

"It's fine," Megatron growled and took a few more bites. He was relieved to find the rumbling had disappeared. He swallowed one last time, "now, we have business to attend to. You will send me back to the Well where I belong."

"I'm sorry, what?" Jack raised an eyebrow. "What well are you talking about?"

"The Well of Allsparks you insolent brat. I don't know what magic this is, but I don't _belong_ here. Send me back."

"No shit. Sorry, I don't have any magic, but you definitely don't belong here." Jack glanced around to make sure no one was staring at him for talking to a cat. "Let's go. You can come home with me so you don't scare any of the locals by calling them peasants or something."

Jack began walking down the sidewalk. "What makes you think I would want to go to your trashy earth dwelling place?" Megatron said but followed after the human anyway.

Jack lead Megatron to his house, thinking the whole way how this was _not_ a good idea. After everything the Bots went through with this guy, was Jack really just going to let him in?

Then the more nonchalant side of Jack countered with he's a cat, what could he possibly do? That was assuming Jack really wasn't losing his mind. He promised himself to go to bed early tonight and blamed the ridiculous situation on his lack of sleep. Jack looked behind himself at the fluffy cat scowling at the ground as he followed behind Jack. What became of Megatron after the whole undead army thing on Cybertron wasn't really explained. When Jack called Arcee to catch up on things all she said was he wouldn't be a problem anymore.

 _And here he is again._ Jack thought he should really just tell Megatron to beat it. After everything, it shouldn't be up to Jack to help the guy. He's the one who destroyed Bumblebee's voice box, started a faction that threw a whole planet into chaos and killed much of its population. Cybertronian history would be dominated with the evil shit this guy did. And Jack just shared a cheeseburger with him.

 _What would Optimus do?_

So Jack went against his better judgement and led the ex-warlord right up to his front door. Megatron watched him curiously as he pushed the key into the door knob and unlocked the door. Jack walked in and held the door open for Megatron. He laughed at the way the cat looked at the doorway with suspicion and took tentative steps inside on his short legs.

"This is the most pathetic base of operations I have ever seen."

"Thanks," Jack deadpanned. "Okay, I'll show you where the food is. I might have to get some cat food or something." He thought partially to himself as he walked into the kitchen.

Megatron didn't like that he was always having to crane his neck to glare at the dark haired human. So, he hopped up onto a barstool and onto the kitchen island. Jack still had his back turned as he rattled off the food in the fridge.

"We've got some ham in here and some cheese-do cats like cheese?" Jack straightened and pulled out of the fridge. He jumped when he saw two red eyes glowering at almost eye-level. "How'd you get up there?"

"I jumped you imbecile."

"Oh! Well that's...That's cool," Jack ran a hand through his hair awkwardly. "I'll show you the rest of the place."

"Is that what I am?"

"Pardon?"

"A cat. Is that what I am?"

"Yes, it's a kind of pet that a lot of people have. There are some that live outside too," Jack explained.

"A pet? Splendid. Will you now show me where you keep your weapons of mass destruction? Preferably something large, like a cannon. I'd like to try to kill myself again," Megatron said and jumped off the counter.

Jack stopped, "wait, what do you mean again?"

"It's none of your business, human. Just do as I said."

"Megatron, I'm not going to show you anything you could use to _kill_ yourself. Are you okay?" Jack knelt down again to examine the furry animal.

"Spare me your patronizing fleshling. And don't ask me questions. I won't answer them." Megatron turned away from Jack and walked towards the couch. "I'm going to recharge and I don't want to see you when I wake up."

"Well that might be kind of difficult seeing as I live here. You can sleep in my room, I don't want my mom to see you yet. She would surely kick you out." Jack couldn't help it, Megatron actually looked _pathetic_ in the new form. It was impossible not to take at least _some_ pity on him. His fur was the most scraggly Jack had ever seen and patchy in some spots where the fur was for some reason shorter. His eyes were downcast which always gave him a sleep-deprived look.

Surprisingly, Megatron turned away from the couch and followed Jack to his room. Megatron wasted no time in jumping onto the blue bedspread and kneading it with his paws. "What are you doing?" Jack asked.

"I feel like I have to. I'm testing the consistency of this substance." Megatron explained and then walked in a few circles before finally settling down in the blankets to sleep.

"Actually, would you mind moving over a little? I kind of wanted to sleep there too."

"There's plenty of space on the floor," Megatron replied curtly and pressed his face into the bed.

Jack sighed and left the room. He went to the closet at the end of the hall and took down an extra blanket and a pillow. Arguing with Megatron wasn't something he was up for, so he gave in and fixed himself a spot on the carpeted floor. If he just went to sleep, maybe he would wake up and realize this was all a dream and no, an evil warlord was _not_ sleeping in his bed. Jack looked over at the gray cat with his paws draped over his eyes. A part of Jack really _did_ want it to be Megatron. After everything, maybe the guy just needed a different perspective.

 _Woah what? Did I really just think that? No, bottom line, Megatron is a jerk. I don't need to pity him-he's probably not even here. That could be just a random cat I accidentally started talking to and let into my house._ Jack debated with himself back and forth in his head. _Thank God it's Saturday and I'll be able to sleep in tomorrow._

…

 **Wow, I was not expecting that kind of response! Thank you to everyone who faved, followed, and reviewed. I really appreciate the support and criticism!**


	3. Chapter 3

So despite the fact it was a _Saturday,_ Jack didn't get to sleep in like he expected. He forgot about actually giving his mother a heads up that there would be a _cat_ in the house. Luckily for him, he was still up sorting through his status of mental stability when he heard the garage door open and a car pull in. Jack quickly scrambled up and went out to meet his mother. Sure he was going to get it for being up this late, but he'd get it worse if June walked into his room to check on him and found an animal in his bed. Jack took his chances on the option with the least amount of consequences and rushed out of his room.

After having a quick conversation-just long enough to keep his mother satisfied-Jack said goodnight and went back into his room to try and sleep. The floor was uncomfortable on his back, forcing him to sleep in an awkwardly rigid position. That, amongst other things, made getting to sleep a difficult feat. After hours of staring exhausted at his seeing, Jack fell asleep. When he last looked over at the dim red glow of his digital clock it was almost two in the morning.

Instead of sleeping until noon as planned, Jack was forced awake by his new house guest. Two furry paws _with claws protracted_ batted at his face. It kind of hurt, and it was definitely enough to get him up.

"For the love of God, Megatron. What are you doin?" Jack groaned and tried to roll over.

"No warrior needs to sleep this long. Get up. My internal systems are making more noises."

"Okay, well, I am not a warrior, I am a _highschool student._ And on weekends, we sleep in. Go help yourself. Just let me sleep," Jack tugged his pillow over his face.

Megatron scowled, "even scholars need to get up at a reasonable hour. You're just lazy and pathetic. Your female creator is here. I got the impression you _didn't_ want her knowledgeable of my presence. No matter, I'm sure she won't hear me knocking things over." Then Megatron turned to walk out the door with his tail flicking behind him. If it were possible for cats to express their smugness through their tails, Megatron sure did. Jack narrowed his eyes from under his pillow and sat up slowly, still holding the pillow over his face.

Regardless of the bitter hatred he felt for the ex giant robot, he dragged himself up anyway. Just picturing his mother's reaction was enough incentive to go get Megatron something from the kitchen. "Just wait here, okay? I'll be back in a sec," Jack motioned for Megatron to get away from the door and back into the room, to which Megatron only scowled but did what he should. _Like he's in any position to barter,_ Jack thought. He should really take advantage of Megatron's pitiful state, but he knew he could never do that. That wasn't how he was raised. Besides, what would the 'Bots think?

 _Arcee would be pretty damn proud,_ Jack smiled to himself as he dug through his fridge for food. Before he knew it he was stuck reminiscing and wondering if the Bots would ever come back to Earth. They promised, but that doesn't mean they won't forget. Jack has had enough experiences with broken promises in the past, he ought to know.

And like that, the smile was gone. Instead it was replaced with a deep frown and dull, downcast eyes. Why did he do this to himself? He just couldn't forget, now matter how hard he tried. His hand trailed down to touch his wrist where his shirt sleeves covered a long pink scar.

"Primus, what is taking you so long?" Megatron chose that moment to speak up and nearly incapacitate Jack's heart for good.

Jack jumped-letting out a _brief_ cry of surprise-and whirled around clutching his chest. Megatron sat on the counter with his permanent scowl fixated on Jack. "What the hell?! Didn't anyone teach you not to sneak up on people like that?"

"They did, I just thought it was counterproductive to _listen."_

Then the pair jerked their attention in the direction of the bedrooms where they both heard creaking bedsprings. _Shit_ , Jack thought. Without thinking, he picked Megatron up by the scruff of his neck, dodged the warlord's outstretched claws and carefully tossed him into one of the bottom cabinets in the kitchen. He could hear the cat's aggressive hissing but couldn't really do anything to shut him up since his mother walked in soon after.

"Jack? You're not usually up this early on weekends. Are you working? And why were you yelling?" June asked and scanned the kitchen for any signs Jack might have been doing something lecture-worthy. She took her time examining every inch of the area like a lifeguard searching for possible drowning victims.

"It's nothing mom! I just got frustrated because I spilled some milk-"

"I don't see any m-"

"That's because I cleaned it up."

Then they stood awkwardly for a moment while June thought through the reasoning. "Okay?" She said hesitantly. "Just don't make anymore messes. Or noise."

She left to go back to her room and Jack let out a sigh of relief. He bent over and opened the cabinet so Megatron could come out. As expected, Megatron jumped out and dove straight for Jack's ankles, sinking his teeth into his bare legs.

"Jesus Christ!" Jack grit his teeth and kicked Megatron off of him. "I'm sorry but I had to! My mom can't find out about you, she would kill me!"

Megatron's scowl deepened and his eyes narrowed more than Jack thought possible. "That makes two of us," was all he said before retreating back down the hallway.

…

Starscream kicked up another patch of dirt in his frustration. Could you believe his luck?! He was independent from Megatron, almost took over the Decepticon army, he was on the winning side! Where the hell did he go wrong?

He underestimated the Autobots. _And_ the humans. Then he laughed to himself at the prospect of being beaten by humans and a handful of Autobots.

Then he was crying because it _did_ happen.

He kicked another patch of dirt, watching the brown cloud oscillate over his pedes. Shockwave ditched him the moment he could. Something about his complaining and bitching that the scientist couldn't stand anymore. So here Starscream was, on Earth. Ironically the only place he thought to go to because it would be stupid for him to try his hand at going to Cybertron. If he was honest, he supposed the planet was a little better and easier to enjoy (half-heartedly) since he was without expectations, obligations, and a faction to hide behind.

He missed it.

He felt powerless. Someday, he would find a way back to his fellow Decepticons. If he could get Megatron, then-what was it it human said? He could get the 'band' back together. Starscream didn't know what that phrase meant, but he felt like it applied to his situation.

In his time on Earth, he stumbled upon the Autobots base. Not in hangar E, but the first one the Decepticons destroyed. It was in horrible condition. Most of the debris had been cleared enough away to keep the rubble from attracting attention and it remained somewhat secluded. So that's where Starscream returned to every so often, when he felt there wasn't much else for him to do but recharge.

But he had a goal now. Find Megatron, wherever he may be, and resurrect the Decepticon cause. _It would be the Neo-Decepticon era._

Then the blinding sunset and rust-colored dirt became more tolerable. They were only temporary. Once he found his one true master, he could get back on track. Back to something familiar.

…

"I'm just saying, you _have_ to be more careful."

" _Me?_ You through me in a dark cell the size of an _energon cube_ , with a leaking protrusion taking up most of the space, and the rest filled with something called _Clorox_ bleach!" Megatron hissed up at Jack. The pair walked down the sidewalk to the pet store.

"For the last time, it was _not_ a cell. And-wait, the sink is leaking?"

"You ought to show me more respect. I could make you a general of my cause if you play your cards right."

"Tempting." Jack feigned interest. "But no, I'm not into that. I'll show you respect, the minute you show it to me. Until then, tough. And what cause? The Decepticons are gone."

Megatron didn't say anything for the rest of the walk and focused his attention on the ground below him.

It wasn't long before they were walking through the sliding doors of a store smelling potently of rabbit pellets and bombarded with chirping birds and barking dogs. Jack noticed Megatron's hesitation in walking inside, but knew better than to pick him up. He tried that once, he would be sporting a bandage on his jaw for the rest of the week.

It was cute to see the ex warlord crouching into the floor when a particularly loud bark resounded through the store. "What is that incessant yapping?!" Megatron growled.

He found out for himself when an older lady walked by with a small brown and white Chihuahua. The dog barked even more viciously than before upon seeing the fluffy gray cat and the lady clutched it tighter in her arms.

Megatron hissed an actual cat hiss and his back arched.

"Okay, okay, stop," and Jack took his chances picking up the small animal. Megatron kept his claws protracted and his front paws outstretched in front. "Just don't look at it."

Not look at it? Look at how revolting it is! _Primus,_ that is the most _hideous_ creature I've ever seen! You humans keep those as pets?" Megatron shouted.

Jack ignored the cat's comments and continued walking toward the cat beds and food. There was no way he was sleeping on the floor, no matter how angry Megatron got. And his mother would undoubtedly realize the food missing from the fridge sooner or later. He went to the beds first and examined the different colors. "Which one do you want?"

"Excuse me? What are those?"

"Beds."

"Perfect. I was wondering when you would move out of that room."

Jack groaned. "No, this will be for you. You can't sleep in my bed anymore. My back's still out of wack from the floor last night."

Megatron laughed, "that's funny. You're even more idiotic than I thought if you think I'm sleeping in _that."_

So Jack picked a dark gray bed with black fluff lining the inside and a bag of hard cat food. He dragged Megatron to the check out line and out the door after much difficulty getting him away from the fish tanks. It was laughable to see how distracted the warlord got watching the small fish. Jack smiled at how Megatron praised them for their bright colors and said he wanted to play with them.

 _Play._

Jack picked up the cat and sped past the tanks before he could get scratched. He didn't need to add a bunch of dead fish to his bill. It wasn't until they were two blocks away that Jack finally put him down. Megatron huffed in irritation but continued walking in the right direction.

…

"So there's really no one else?"

They were walking side by side in silence for five minutes before surprisingly, Megatron initiated a conversation. His eyes were downcast and there was a jostle to his step that Jack thought looked lazy. Or depressed.

"What do you mean?"

"The Decepticons. You said they were gone. Is that truthful?" Megatron muttered just loud enough for Jack to hear.

He was taken aback by the soft tone, since when did Megatron say anything without growling it? "Um, that's what the Bots said."

"The Autobots," he scoffed. Yes he remembered all of them, and he remembered hating all of them too. Why did they win, when they were outnumbered from the start?

Jack watched Megatron fuming next to him but couldn't think of much to say. "Why do you hate them?"

"Because I had a dream for my planet. And they stood in my way. Fools. I could have changed things for the better."

"I don't think you're telling me the truth. You don't hate the Autobots, it's just Optimus, isn't it? Because he turned against you?" Jack offered.

Megatron stopped and looked at him with an expression Jack guessed was surprised. His claws were protracted again, digging white lines into the concrete and his red eyes were wide with...anger? Indignation? It was a mix of emotions impossible to decipher and it was…unnerving.

"Are you...okay?" Jack tried.

Megatron shook his head. "I'm fine," he said tersely and walked ahead.

…

The rest of the afternoon progressed with Megatron in an uncharacteristic silence-which he denied every time Jack asked about it. He did, however, return to normal once Jack tried to give him some of the cat food he bought and the ex warlord went into a frenzy. Something about how he was a gladiator in the pits of Kaon and gladiators did not eat whatever dried slag the teenager was offering. Jack shouldn't have been surprised with that outcome, he ought to have known Megatron wouldn't automatically assimilate to house cat status. Jack still didn't like Megatron, not at all- yet, he felt _bad._ He actually felt _pity,_ real pity for the cat who looked like he had never had an easy day in his life. There were small pink scratches covering his nose and around his back and his fur stood up in odd spots. It was sort of depressing.

Jack watched the gray animal hop onto the couch and set his head on his paws. He would give anything to know exactly what was going through his mind. A watered down plan for revenge? His own existence? Half assed excuses for his actions? Or nothing at all?

"What are you thinking about?" Jack chanced.

"You don't get to know what I'm thinking, human," he spat, but then his tone softened considerably. "I'm just tired. I'm really tired."

Jack didn't know what that was supposed to mean. They did have a fairly action-packed day, so it's possible he was being literal in the physical sense. But with that look… He wasn't sure what to say. All the suicide prevention posters around his school flashed through his mind but he dismissed them. Megatron wasn't suicidal. He was a warlord. The Con who launched Cybertron into chaos and the one responsible for widespread destruction and devastation. He wasn't suicidal.

"You're welcome to take a nap if you want. Cats actually do that a lot," Jack said half heartedly and dragged a blanket off the back of the couch. He stuffed it around where Megatron sat into something that looked like a nest, but without getting it too close or constricting. The cat was a little unstable and Jack didn't want to give him another reason to blow up.

"No amount of sleep will purge the sort of fatigue I'm feeling. I wouldn't expect a human to understand."

And so Jack left him alone on the couch.

…

 **Sorry for the** _ **really**_ **long wait! I appreciate all the amazing reviews and support!**


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